Public outcry wasn't enough to stop Ohio city officials from eliminating key fire department positions, or reverse the shuttering of a station, which had announced last month.
The Youngstown Fire Department eliminated half of its battalion chiefs Wednesday night, as the City Council voted 6-1 to reduce the number of those positions from six to three, WKBN-TV reports. While the one lawmaker who cast the dissenting vote against the cuts did so because she didn't "want to support any changes in the fire department right now until I get a comprehensive plan," the other council members backed the reductions because they were told the city could face legal action if they left those positions unfilled.
Along with cutting three battalion chiefs, city officials also made it clear that the fire department would still be closing one of its stations. Last month, Mayor Tito Brown announced the closing of Fire Station 7, and he confirmed Wednesday that his position hadn't changed.
“This station does not have to close," said Jonathan Blackshire, a neighborhood association president and one of the handful of residents and firefighters who objected to the shuttering at Wednesday's meeting.
Charles Smith, the president of the firefighters union, also spoke out against the closing.
“This is something that should have never gotten this far," he told WKBN. "This should have stopped a long time ago when the facts came out of the safety issues that’s going to face the firefighters and the citizens."
But Brown told those in attendance that he trusted Fire Chief Barry Finley, who had assured him that the staff cuts and station closing would not compromise residents' safety or the city's fire coverage.
“I trust the chief," Brown said Wednesday. "He’s a constant professional, and he has a bigger vision than just where we are today. He wants to take us into the 21st century. Let him lead the way with his comprehensive vision."
